Tulane University Removes a Bell From Campus That Had Been Used to Summon Enslaved People

For many years students at Tulane University would ring the Victory Bell on the university’s Uptown Campus after the school’s athetic team had won an intercolligiate contest. Recently, the university became aware of the fact that the Victory Bell, which resembles the Liberty Bell without the crack, was used on a Louisiana plantation as a signaling device to inform enslaved people when to move about the plantation.

The bell was cast in 1825. It was was donated to Tulane University by Richard W. Leche, a former governor of Louisiana and a graduate of the university’s law school. It was placed on campus in 1960 in front of the arena where the unviersity’s basketball games were played. When Tulane was victorious, students would ring the ball upon leaving the arena.

In a letter to the campus community, President Mike Fitts and Board Chairman Doug Hertz, stated that “it is terribly disheartening to learn that it is, in fact, a vestige of a horrific part of our nation’s past. Now that we understand its history as an instrument of slavery, continuing to use this bell in a celebratory manner would run counter to our values.”

The bell was placed in storage until the university further investigates its past and decides what to do with it. In their statement, Fitt and Hertz went on to say that “as an academic institution, we believe it is important to find a way to use this bell to further our knowledge and understanding of slavery and pursue a more just society. Although we have made real progress in building a university that better reflects our community and our highest values, the bell’s newly discovered past is a powerful reminder that the most tragic and painful elements of our nation’s history continue to echo through our communities.”

Related Articles

1 COMMENT

  1. One suggestion: Hold a campus-wide rally and reduce the bell to a molten state. Then, re-cast the metal into a statute befitting the memory of the untold number of slaves whom the original bell was used to summon.

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs